COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Allison Valentino has been named as an assistant coach for women's lacrosse at the University of Maryland, head coach Cindy Timchal announced today. Valentino spent the last six seasons at Duke, her last serving as the associate head coach.
Valentino takes the spot vacated by Jen Adams, who resigned in early August. Valentino will work with the offense as well as being heavily involved in all aspects of recruiting.
"I am thrilled to be here and am looking forward to getting started," Valentino said. "I feel honored to be part of a program with a great lacrosse tradition and am very excited to start working with these high-caliber student-athletes."
At Duke, Valentino helped build the Duke program into one of the elite in the country. The Blue Devils advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of her six seasons, including three straight quarterfinal appearances and a trip to the National Semifinals in 1999. Twelve Duke players were named IWLCA All-Americans during her tenure, as well as 19 All-ACC selections.
In addition to being involved with all aspects of the program, Valentino was also Duke's primary recruiting coordinator. She helped land some of the top classes in the nation, including the 2003 class which included four members off the U.S. Under-19 team and was ranked second in the nation by Inside Lacrosse.
"We are pleased to add Allison to our staff," Timchal said. "She brings a knowledge of recruiting and will help us to continue to push to win national championships."
As a player, Valentino was a two-time All-CAA selection and earned IWLCA All-America accolades in 1996 and 1997. She led the team to three NCAA Tournament Final Fours and a spot in the 1997 national championship match. Valentino played on the Loyola team that earned the No. 1 ranking and won a school-record 16 matches in 1994. She finished her career with 71 goals and 49 assists for 120 points.
A native of Fulton, Md., Valentino earned her Master's in Clinical Psychology at Loyola in 1998.